Thursday, July 17, 2008

Sexy Raleigh

My Raleigh Olympian fixed gear bike is nearly completed.
I started in May 2007 after I found the bike at a yard sale for 15$ (post here). Here is a pic of the bike the day I brought it home. -->
In June '07 I hacked up the aluminum cranks in my Raleigh update post.
Later that year I found a bike for 1$ and scavenged some Shimano breaks and hubs off of it. The rest of the bike went to the dump.
In the previous post WHEEL BUILD, I showed off my fixed gear wheel construction and details. This actually cost some real money. But the wheel is sweet as hell and will last me 10-15 years. Just a few days ago I mounted a tire and put the wheel on. I fooled with the idea of jimmyriggin' a fixed gear wheel, but then I said to my self "Self, build a good wheel."
<-----Here is the semi-final result.
I am waiting for the fixed cog to come in. I will swap it around then. For now I am running with the freewheel.
After putting on the new wheel I realized that I really need to replace the front one too.
The other two things to finish it off are: change out the handle bars to a straight bar, maybe with a little rise in it and; upgrade the crank set a little and I'm sure other things will come up. Isn't that how it goes?

Sweet riding, low maintenance, quite as a mouse, street machine.
Total Cost 198$

For the curious it's running 42x16.

4 comments:

  1. Looking mighty good; I'm sure that you are getting in some nice cycling too this summer.
    Enjoy !

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  2. thx. barbara.
    its been good this year. I even got my brother into it.

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  3. I like those bars takes me back to the 80's.

    But you gotta get a front wheel to match the rear tho'

    :)

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  4. fuzzy,
    as soon as i put the rear on, I said to myslef 'well, shit now i HAVE to get a front wheel to match.'

    its in the works.

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